Hawkes in no hurry for Chautauqua call
TEAM Hawkes are in no rush to lock in a rider for Chautauqua in The Everest this spring after Tommy Berry’s bid to ride The Grey Flash in the $10 million race was rejected by the Hong Kong Jockey Club yesterday.
Berry will join the Hong Kong jockey ranks next season and found out yesterday that his application to return to Sydney to ride Chautauqua in The Everest at Randwick on October 14 was denied. It comes as there is likely to be a Saturday meeting scheduled in Hong Kong on the same day.
With Berry out of the picture many are tipping Dwayne Dunn, who has ridden Chautauqua at 15 of his 29 starts, to pilot the star sprinter in The Everest but John Hawkes said no decision had been made yet.
“It’s possible (Dwayne Dunn could ride Chautauqua in The Everest) but it’s too far away to be worried about that,” Hawkes said.
Chautauqua hasn’t been seen since producing one of the greatest finishing bursts of all time to win his third TJ Smith Stakes in April.
Hawkes said the champion sprinter was back in pretraining and would return to their stable next month.
“He is back poking around at the farm,” Hawkes said.
“He will probably come back in next month sometime and we won’t map out his spring campaign until we get him back into the stable.”
Chautauqua is likely to have a start or two heading into The Everest but whether those lead-up races will be in Melbourne or Sydney remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable has confirmed dual Group 1 winner Global Glamour is back in work and will be targeted towards a run in The Everest.
Finally, the Australian Turf Club will trial later finishing times to morning trackwork sessions at its three training centres to allow trainers and stable staff more options around working hours.
After consultation with trainers at Royal Randwick, Rosehill Gardens and Warwick Farm, the ATC has decided to extend trackwork finishing times to 9.00am at Rosehill and Randwick and 9.30am at Warwick Farm from July 1.